


Headstrong

by zennie



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, First Dates, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:54:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8424334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zennie/pseuds/zennie
Summary: Maggie challenges Alex to a race. It doesn't end like either of them planned.





	1. Chapter 1

Alex judged the distance between the semi and the car in front of it with precision and neatly slid between them with inches to spare, her Ducati roaring beneath her as she opened it up to swerve around the car, trying to gain on Maggie. Even though Alex had the faster bike, Maggie was ahead of her and nearly to the abandoned pier. She’d had a head start, challenging Alex by throwing the words “Race ya” over her shoulder as she had left the police lot. Alex had followed, more carefully, more slowly, while Maggie had swerved into and out of traffic with reckless abandon. She’d slowed several times to let Alex catch up before speeding off again, her taunting goading Alex into trying to match Maggie’s speed and insanity, with only limited success. 

Finally, they roared into the parking lot, sand kicking beneath their tires, Maggie’s bike just yards ahead of Alex’s as they slowed to a stop. Heart pounding, Alex pulled her helmet off and Maggie did the same, her dark eyes sparkling. “Not too shabby, Danvers. Next time, you may even make it a race.” 

“That… you…” Alex wasn’t sure if she was more angry or turned on at the moment as she barrelled off her motorcycle to tower over the smaller woman, still astride her bike, her hair blowing in the wind off the ocean. “You could have been killed.” Alex could still hear the truck horn blaring out a warning as Maggie’s bike cleared the bumper, the horn startling them both and nearly causing an accident when the car ahead had unexpected hit the brakes. 

“But I wasn’t, was I?” The smirk on Maggie’s face was infuriating. She set her helmet down on the tank and swung off her bike. “Come on, Danvers, don’t tell me you didn’t get a rush from that.” Alex’s teeth clicked together to bite back a retort as Maggie continued, “You can’t do what you do without being an adrenaline junky.” Maggie was in Alex’s face now, her chin canted up so she could meet Alex’s eyes. “I know you, Danvers, and I know you just had fun.” 

“Yes, fun, nearly dying for no reason on the bumper of an 18-wheeler.” She glared at the shorter woman, her hands clenching into fists to keep herself from grabbing Maggie. “On the job, I take calculated risks to protect–” 

“Bullshit.” Maggie’s smile was smug and taunting. “That’s a nice rationalization–” 

“–It’s not–”

“–deep down, you enjoy it. Being the toughest, baddest agent, gotta give you a thrill.” 

“You know nothing about me.” 

 “Wanna bet?” She indicated the end of the pier, several hundred yards away down a long stretch of beach, with her chin. “Race ya,” she laughed as she sprinted away. 

Alex shook her head for second, trying to refuse to be baited, to be goaded, because she didn’t want to prove Maggie right, before she took off after the other woman. Her longer legs helped make up the distance and her sniper boots had better traction on the wet, slippery sand, and she soon overtook the detective. She ran past Maggie, smirking at the glare Maggie shot her, and skidded to a stop at the very edge of the pier, her heart pounding. 

Black waves were tipped with moonlight, the wood creaked beneath their feet as the water crashed in, and Maggie was saying something that Alex couldn’t hear over the rolling surf. And it didn’t matter as she turned toward the other woman and drew her close. Maggie’s skin was chilled from the wind as Alex caught her chin, raising it so she could capture those soft lips with her own. One arm snaked around Maggie’s waist, pulling her closer, the heat between them undeniable, keeping the cold wind at bay. 

Maggie’s hands rested on Alex’s shoulders, not pushing her away but not pulling her in either. When Alex raised her head, Maggie’s eyes were deep and unreadable, searching Alex’s face. But she didn’t resist when Alex dipped her head again and tangled her hand in Maggie’s hair, melding their bodies together as their mouths met. Alex’s tongue parted Maggie’s lips, the banked hunger roaring to life as she deepened the kiss. Maggie clung to her, nails digging into the leather of Alex’s jacket. Maggie tasted of coffee and chocolate, and the low moan from the back of her throat summoned a dark heat deep in the pit of Alex’s stomach. 

Breathless, their lips parted, and they held onto each other for a timeless moment. Maggie broke the mood with a quiet chuckle. “I was going to say we were tied, but I think you just came out ahead.” 

The reflection of the moon on the waves flickered in Maggie’s eyes, and Alex wanted to lose herself there and never find her way out. Maggie seemed to see it, her expression changing from teasing to serious as Alex drew her in for another kiss. 

This time, a firm hand on her shoulder pushed her until Alex stepped back, chilled air taking the space between their bodies and dissipating the heat. Maggie dropped her hand, breaking the last connection between them, and her eyes were fixed at a spot somewhere over Alex’s shoulder. “I think... that’s enough for one night.” 

“Maggie…” 

But Maggie was already walking away, her boots rattling the boards as she made her way back to the beach. “See ya around, Danvers.” 

Alex stood at the end of the pier, letting the cold and darkness flow into her, chilling her to the bone, as she stared out at the waves, refusing to watch Maggie walk away. The rumble of a motorcycle engine revved to a roar as Maggie peeled out of the parking lot. Alex didn’t move until the sound of Maggie’s bike on the highway was a distant memory. 


	2. Chapter 2

Maggie flashed the DEO ID card she had been given weeks ago at the sentry, hoping they didn’t call her an escort like they usually did. “I need to see Agent Danvers,” she said, injecting an urgency into her voice to bluff her way through the usual protocol. The urgency wasn’t necessarily feigned; after Alex had literally jumped in between Maggie and an alien attacker, saving her yet again, the agent had been whisked away, back to the DEO, before Maggie could even check to see if she was okay. 

The guard opened his mouth to protest, but a quiet voice stopped him. “She’s with me.” 

Supergirl indicated the hallway, and they walked in silence until they were out of earshot of the guard. Supergirl stopped and turned toward her, prompting Maggie to do the same, and the Girl of Steel’s gaze as she searched Maggie’s face was intense. The attitude was surprising, coming from the generally bubbly superhero. It was almost as if she was angry, and Maggie wondered if it meant that Supergirl knew about what had happened between her and Alex, and why Alex would have told her. 

“Alex is in the locker room.” This time Maggie knew she wasn’t imagining the steel in Supergirl’s voice. 

“Thanks,” Maggie said carefully and she walked away, her back twitching as she felt the superhero watching her all the way down the hall. Managing to get to the corner without being incinerated by Supergirl’s heat vision seemed like an accomplishment. 

Alex was toweling off the yellow substance as best she could, the aftermath of what had burst from the alien after she’d shot it, carefully wiping around the instruments and ammo pouches on her vest. Maggie had been lucky; Alex had been standing right in front of her and had caught the worst of the ooze that splattered everyone in the vicinity. 

Maggie’s hand tighten into a fist at her side. “You idiot. You could have been killed.” It wasn’t the thank you it should have been, but Alex had jumped down to get between Maggie and the alien, nearly getting slashed for her trouble, when she could have easily shot him from the catwalk. It had been a stupid risk, to put herself in harm’s way, and the panic that had enveloped Maggie when the alien had lashed out was just now subsiding, now that she could see the other woman was unharmed. 

“I wasn’t, was I?” Alex threw Maggie’s words from the beach back at her as she rubbed the towel along the zipper, peeling the pull out of the goo and unzipping the vest. She shrugged it off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor with a look of distaste. “I didn’t think you cared.” 

The barb struck Maggie squarely in the gut. “Look, I’m sorry your ego got bruised when I didn’t fuck you right there on the beach the other night–” 

Alex’s head snapped up to fix Maggie with a look. “–Keep your goddamn voice down!” 

Alex’s glare could have melted steel, but Maggie continued, undaunted. “You know, if you had answered my calls or replied to my texts, we could have talked about this.” 

“What’s there to talk about? I made a pass at you, you rejected me. End of story.” Alex unbuckled her belt and let her BDUs slide down her legs, pooling at her ankles so she could step out of them. Maggie knew she was being baited, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from travelling the length of Alex’s muscular legs, marred by the occasional bruise. Alex’s smirk was equal parts angry and gloating, and Maggie sighed in exasperation. 

“Fine, Danvers, if that’s the way you want to play it…“ Maggie turned on her heel and left in disgust, nearly plowing into another agent entering the locker room. 

*** 

Maggie watched Alex approach and she shifted where she leaned on Alex’s Ducati to settle more comfortably against the seat, her lips curling into an appreciative smile. Alex’s eyes narrowed as she slowed to a stop in front of Maggie, her hands on her hips. 

“Are you stalking me, Sawyer?” 

“Just trying to get you to talk to me, Danvers.” Maggie didn’t move from Alex’s bike, daring the other woman to make her get off. 

“I told you, I have nothing to say.” 

“I think you do, and I want to talk about it.” 

“I don’t.” Maggie opened her mouth to speak, and Alex held up a finger to forestall her. “Please. I just…” 

“Fine.” Maggie stood up, and as Alex brushed past her to get to her helmet, Maggie grabbed her leather jacket and pulled Alex down so their lips could meet. Alex tensed, but her hands found Maggie’s hips, her fingers curving into denim. Maggie’s tongue teased Alex’s lips, demanding access, and Alex didn’t resist. The heat was instantaneous, and when Maggie felt one of Alex’s hands slide under the hem of her t-shirt and tease her skin, she was sure she would combust. One of her hands tangled in Alex’s hair and gripped the back of Alex’s neck, holding her while their tongues clashed with an almost desperate need. 

Alex broke the kiss, and Maggie slid her fingers along Alex’s jaw, feeling Alex tremble. The raw desire in Alex’s eyes warred with anger and hurt, and Maggie watched as she debated whether to pull her in again or push her away. Finally, Maggie dropped her hands and stepped back. “There, Danvers. I kissed you this time. Now you can reject me and satisfy your wounded pride.” 

“Another tie?” Alex sneered. Shaking her head, she stepped around Maggie and straddled her bike. 

Maggie closed her eyes, unable to watch Alex leave. “I... really like you.” The words felt like they were ripped from somewhere deep inside her, leaving her empty and defenseless to anything Alex might throw back at her. It seemed fair, given that Alex had been the first to break the holding pattern they had found themselves in, but it was also terrifying. 

Alex’s hands paused where they were fishing in her jacket for her keys, her back straightening as Maggie’s words sank in. 

“I like you,” Maggie repeated. “But I thought there was no chance. I knew you were… intrigued, but there’s been a lot of women who have been intrigued.” Images from a lifetime of straight white girls who toyed with the queer latinx played through her head. Maggie laughed, but the sound was wrought with pain. “I was kind of a like a dog chasing a car. Never expected to catch it.” 

“At least I’m not the dog in that scenario.” 

“I got scared,” Maggie admitted. “I still am.” 

Alex nodded, her head dropping to her chest with a sigh. “Do you know what it took for me?” 

“No,” Maggie answered honestly. Because she didn’t know this woman she was dangerously close to being in love with, and that scared her most of all. 

“Do you have any idea how long it’s been, how long since I felt something, anything, for anyone?” 

Maggie closed her eyes, knowing the pain her actions had caused, wishing they could have gotten to this place without it, but also knowing that whatever they might have together, it would always be like this, raw, awkward, uncomfortable... terrifying. And she knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I’m scared too,” Alex confessed, in a quiet voice. “You push all my buttons, Sawyer.” 

“I shouldn’t have walked away, but I couldn’t stay. I’m sorry for that, but I’m here now.” She finally drew even with Alex, still sitting on her bike, her eyes conflicted and bright with unshed tears. A bruise was starting to form on her cheek, and Maggie was sure she had never seen anything more beautiful than Alex Danvers, vulnerable and proud and unsure in her passion. “So now what, Danvers?” 

Alex drew a shaky breath, her dark eyes fixing on Maggie, challenge and surrender in equal parts in the gaze. “Dinner?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so it's been a while, but I was re-reading some stuff in my WiP folder and this resonated with me. I just love the competitive vibe that I started here, before we got much of Maggie in the show, and well, it needs to show up in something besides vegan ice cream bets.

Alex stood outside the restaurant, resisting the urge to pace along the sidewalk as her nerves began to fray. She had chosen a simple, form-hugging black dress and low heels, but now she wished she had gone with something a little more casual. This was a lesbian date, and just thinking the word in her head sent a little thrill of excitement, along with a shiver of fear, down her spine. Should she be wearing jeans? Leather?  
  
“Wow.”  
  
“I....” Alex started as she turned, before her breath caught in her throat. Maggie was a vision in a deep burgundy dress, her arms and legs bare and her hair up to expose her neck, and Alex suddenly wondered if they should skip dinner and go right to dessert. What this woman did to her...  
  
Maggie stepped closer, and Alex bit her bottom lip as the shorter woman invaded her space. Maggie tilted her chin up, her eyes dancing. “You okay there, Danvers?” she teased, her voice a low whisper that did funny things to the pit of Alex’s stomach. Alex’s fingers twitched as she fought the desire to run her hands over the curve of Maggie’s hip, to trace the angle of her jaw, to drag the woman close and never let her go. Maggie must have seen something in Alex’s eyes, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips in anticipation.  
  
“Alex!”  
  
Jumping as if she had been scalded, Alex swung around just as she was wrapped in a hug. “I thought that was you, but it’s so rare I see you out of uniform.”  
  
Maggie stepped back, and Alex saw her eyes dart to Lucy, raising an eyebrow at the appraisal Lucy was giving her dress.  
  
“You look… great.” It had sounded like Lucy was going to say something else, but had changed her description at the last minute.  
  
“Lucy, hey.” Alex looked behind her and saw a couple of other familiar faces, and she waved. “Hi Susan, Ella.”  
  
“So what are you up to? Want to join us for girl’s night?” Lucy asked, motioning to include Maggie at the last moment. “The more, the merrier.”  
  
Alex felt everyone’s eyes on her, and she shifted her weight before gazing at the beautiful woman at her side, watching her quietly. Making a quick decision, Alex reached out and pressed her hand to the small of Maggie’s back, bringing her closer and nearly combusting as her fingers slid over bare skin instead of fabric. “Thanks, but we’re here… on… on a date.” It wasn’t the smoothest declaration, but the sudden, surprised smile that curved Maggie’s lips was all she needed.  
  
“Oh.” That set Lucy back on her heels. “Oh.” She looked at Maggie with renewed appreciation and interest.  
  
“We’re running late.” Alex gave a little wave to Lucy and the other women in the group. “You guys have fun, and I’ll see you Monday.”  
  
Alex guided Maggie down the short walk toward the hostess station. “Sorry about that,” she muttered, not sure if she was apologizing for the awkwardness or for Lucy interrupting the moment they’d been sharing.    
  
“She’s pretty,” Maggie’s tone was blasé. “Is she a work colleague?”  
  
“She’s a friend, and we work together sometimes.”  
  
“A friend?”  
  
Something in Maggie’s voice had Alex glancing to the side. “Are you jealous?”  
  
“Should I be?”  
  
Alex stopped short of the door and caught Maggie’s hand to pull her off to the side. “No.” She lowered her head and gave Maggie a soft, light kiss. “Not at all.” She could hear Lucy’s voice suddenly quiet as the DEO agents who had been walking behind passed them, but Alex ignored them to focus on Maggie. “Any other questions, Sawyer?” she teased.  
  
“Just one.” Maggie slid her hands up Alex’s arms to wrap her hands around Alex’s neck, bringing her in for a longer, deeper kiss, her fingers tangling in Alex’s hair to hold her there. Alex’s hands skimmed up her back, and Maggie’s body arched subtly into hers. Breathless, their lips finally parted, and Alex waited a few heartbeats before opening her eyes to Maggie’s teasing smirk. “Hungry?”  
  
“Very,” Alex replied, her voice so low it was nearly a growl.  
  
“We should go in before we lose our table, then.”  
  
Alex narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but she let Maggie catch her hand and lead the way into the restaurant. The lights were dimmed in the main room, making the interior dark and intimate, lit by candles on every table. The wood-fired oven in the wall cast an orange glow through the room, lending to the romantic atmosphere.  
  
Maggie didn’t release her hand until they reached their table, and Alex missed it immediately. She was turning into a sap, very very quickly, she realized. “Are you okay?” Alex shot her a questioning look, and Maggie nodded her head at Vasquez, who kept casting incredulous looks at them out of the corner of her eye. “With your work friends knowing about, um…”  
  
“Our date?”  
  
“I did just kiss you senseless in front of them.”  
  
Alex opened her mouth to protest, but instead she gave a rueful smile and a small shrug of her shoulders. A blush spread across her cheeks as she conceded the point. “I started it.”  
  
“And I finished it.”  
  
“For now.”  
  
“Is that right?” Maggie leaned forward, drawn by the challenge in Alexs’ voice and the tension building between them. “I’m ahead here, Danvers. You need to catch up.”  
  
The candlelight from the volitive on the center of the table flickered across Maggie’s features, the angles of her face set in dramatic relief, her dark eyes almost black in the shadow. Alex sucked in a shallow breath, almost unable to believe this was real.  
  
“What?” Maggie asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
“You are so beautiful.”  
  
The teasing grin faded as the words registered. Maggie’s eyes widened, searching Alex’s, and her features softened as a small, shy smile curved her lips, completely disarmed by the quiet compliment. “Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah.” Alex cupped Maggie’s jaw, her thumb caressing her cheek, and Alex’s heart swelled at the vulnerability in Maggie’s eyes at the gentle touch. “Just... beautiful.”  
  
The waitress paused by their table and cleared her throat, startling them. Alex dropped her hand reluctantly, finding Maggie’s hand on the table and intertwining their fingers. Touching Maggie was becoming an addiction, and not one she wanted to be rid of any time soon. If the heavy look Maggie gave her was any indication, Maggie was feeling it too.  
  
•••  
  
Lucy turned back to Vaquez and Washington as the couple at the table gave their order. She was surprised the waiter was able to get their attention, lost, as they were, in their own little world. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have never believed it. Badass Alex Danvers mooning over this mystery woman was disconcerting on so many levels. “So who knew Alex was into girls?”  
  
“You mean, beyond wishful thinking?” Susan asked, casting another unsettled glance at the table. Her crush on Agent Danvers was legendary throughout the DEO, even though she and her girlfriend had been happily dating the whole time. Not that Lucy blamed her.  
  
“I’ve worked with Alex for two years, and I’ve seen her smile more in the last 15 minutes than that whole time,” Ella commented. “How long do you think they’ve been dating?”  
  
“I dunno, but that kiss…” Lucy feigned fanning herself. “So we have no idea who that woman is?”  
  
“None.” Susan sounded a little peeved, and Lucy smiled sympathetically.  
  
“Well, I know someone who would,” Lucy remarked, pulling out her phone and tapping out a quick text to Kara.  
  
 _You have been holding out on me!_  
  
 _Hey Lucy. What are you talking about?_  
  
 _Your sister! Dating women!_ Lucy paused for a second before typing another text. _Who’s this woman she’s seeing?_  
  
 _WHAT?_  
  
 _I’m at Lo Scoglio and she’s here with a date. Dark hair, petite, hot. FEMALE_. Lucy glanced back at the table in question, at Alex’s hand resting possessively on the other woman’s as they spoke with the waitress. So not fair.  
  
 _She’s there with Maggie?_ At least the mystery woman had a name, Lucy thought as she waited for Kara to finish typing. _It’s her cop friend_.  
  
 _Cop?_ She looked up at Susan and Ella and whispered, “Cop.”  
  
“Of course,” Susan muttered. “She probably has an arsenal as big as Alex’s.”  
  
Lucy snickered at the innuendo as Ella blushed, as if she had just had a very vivid thought. Lucy gestured for another round before looking back to her phone as Kara’s latest text came in.  
  
 _They are probably just having dinner to talk. They had a fight._  
  
 _They made up REALLY fast._  
  
 _I don’t know what that means._  
  
 _They were making out in front of the restaurant._  
  
 _LUCY!_ Lucy’s phone buzzed once, and then again as Kara peppered her with questions. _They were not. Were they? What were they doing? Wait! Don’t answer that._  
  
 _Yeah, they were definitely making out, but it was mostly PG. Mostly_ , Lucy typed, remembered the way their bodies had melded together during that second kiss. _So how long have they been dating?_  
  
 _They haven’t._  
  
Lucy nearly dropped her phone in her haste to type out her question. _WhAT?_  
  
•••  
  
After the waiter took their order, they descended into an uncomfortable silence. Alex played with Maggie’s hand in the center of the table, her gaze fixed on the candle. “Should we, ah, talk about this?”  
  
“About?” Maggie prompted as she dipped her head to try to catch Alex’s eyes. That had been the plan, when they had parted that afternoon, a quiet dinner to talk. Maggie had even rehearsed what she had wanted to say. It had only taken a second to realize how monumentally stupid that plan had been; a single look at Alex standing there waiting for her had driven every thought from Maggie’s head. The fact that they had made it into the restaurant was a miracle of self-control.  
  
“About what we’re doing? Before…” Alex glanced at Maggie, holding her gaze. “Before it gets any more intense?”  
  
Maggie’s lips curved into a sexy smile. God, she loved to see Alex flustered. “It’s intense?” she teased gently.  
  
“I can’t keep my hands off of you,” Alex confessed. “Any more intense, and I’m going to have you for dinner.”  
  
A shocked gasp escaped Maggie’s throat as Alex neatly turned the tables on her, and the tension, already almost excruciating, ratcheted up higher. This game they were playing was going to be death of her, but what a way to go.  
  
“Please tell me I’m not the only one feeling like this.”  
  
“You aren’t. And, well, this…” Maggie gestured around the restaurant, “....dinner is an opportunity to explore our feeling for each other.”  
  
“We were going to _talk_ ,” Alex reminded her.  
  
A wicked smile twisted Maggie’s lips. “Talking is overrated.” As if to punctuate her words, Maggie slid her hand under the table to caress Alex’s knee, nearly causing the other woman to jump out of her chair.  
  
“You…”  
  
Maggie’s fingers drifted higher, stroking Alex’s thigh. “Me what?”  
  
“Payback is hell,” Alex warned.  
  
“Looking forward to it, Danvers.”


	4. Chapter 4

The world dropped away. Food was in front of them, but Alex didn’t really remember ordering, and people moved around them, but Alex didn’t notice. She did, however, know the exact number of times Maggie had blushed or bitten her lip, and she had memorized every detail about how Maggie looked in the candlelight and the way the glow from the oven made Maggie’s hair shine. She knew she looked like a smitten idiot, but she didn’t care.   
  
Maggie entertained with stories about her co-workers and detective work, keeping the stories light and the conversation going as they ate and slowly emptied the bottle of wine they had ordered. Finally, as they sat toying with their nearly empty glasses, a silence descended between them.  
  
“Penny for your thoughts?” Maggie asked, ducking her head to try and catch Alex’s eyes. Alex dropped her gaze to her plate, and she picked at the pasta in front of her, not sure how to articulate what was in her head. It was like she had known Maggie all her life yet, at the same time, everything felt shiny and new. In the garage, she had talked about how hard it had been to make a move, but what she hadn’t said was how she couldn’t resist the urge either. She was drawn to this woman, and nothing had ever felt like this before, never so comfortable, never so right.   
  
“Do you… do you want to talk?” Maggie asked, more seriously, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.  
  
“No…” Alex breathed, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, watching as Maggie’s eyes were drawn to the movement. Her fingers had found Maggie’s hand again, her thumb brushing over Maggie’s knuckles. “I, I don’t think we need to talk. I’m a lot less scared… and a lot more sure about… this.”  
  
“Yeah?”   
  
Alex slipped her foot out of her shoe and eased it up the back of Maggie’s toned calf, smirking as Maggie’s breath hitched and she squirmed in her chair. “Am I catching up?” she asked as her foot teased and Maggie gave her a smoldering look.  
  
“Maybe a little bit, Danvers.”  
  
“Not tied yet?”  
  
Maggie flashed her dimpled smile. “Not yet.”  
  
Alex slipped her foot back into her shoe, scooted back her chair and stood. “I have to hit the ladies room. Be right back.” She paused by Maggie’s chair, catching Maggie’s chin as she leaned down and kissed her, biting Maggie’s bottom lip and earning a gasp against her mouth. “Now we’re tied,” she whispered into Maggie’s ear before she walked away.  
  
•••  
  
Lucy was pretty sure Susan’s head was going to explode. Watching Alex Danvers on a date was systematically demolishing every single one of their preconceptions, but Susan was struggling with it the most. “She… she…” Susan stuttered as she turned away from the table drawing all their focus.  
  
“Breathe, Susan, breathe,” Lucy told the wide-eyed soldier. She slid a drink closer, and Vasquez grabbed it gratefully and drank half in one gulp.   
  
“Kara really said that they weren’t dating?” Ella piped up.   
  
“As of this afternoon.” Lucy shrugged, like she couldn’t believe it either. “Kara said she thought something was going on, but…”  
  
“Talk about zero to sixty…”  
  
“Yeah,” Susan agreed with Ella. “So we know she’s a cop, and she’s been working science cases for the NCPD. What else?”  
  
“That’s it. Except for that fact that she’s smoking hot and has turned badass Alex Danvers into a lovesick puppy, something that, might I add, I never expected to see in my lifetime.”  
  
“Me either,” Susan muttered, looking despondent as she finished her drink.   
  
Lucy motioned to the bartender for another round, shrugging when she saw Ella’s raised eyebrow. “What? I think we all could use another one.”  
  
***  
  
Turning off the faucet, Alex reached for a towel, starting a little  when she found Maggie standing beside her. Whatever Alex was going to say died in her throat at the seductive grin on Maggie’s lips and the hunger in her eyes.   
  
“Have I ever told you I hate a tie game?” Maggie asked as she advanced, her hands catching Alex’s hips to guide her back into the stall, closing and latching the door behind them.   
  
Their lips met as Alex’s back hit the wall, one of her hands already tangling in Maggie’s hair, the other sliding over Maggie’s hip and down the back of her thigh. This may have been Maggie’s idea, but now that she had her in her arms, Alex thought it was time she had some fun.   
  
Her fingers hooked around the back of Maggie’s knee and raised her leg so that Maggie had to grab her shoulders and squeeze Alex’s side with her thigh to keep from falling. “Al–” Maggie’s lips parted to speak, but Alex took advantage, using her tongue to silence the other woman. Maggie’s grip around her shoulders tightened, almost painfully, as Alex tilted her head back and deepened the kiss.   
  
Maggie clung to her as Alex’s fingers teased the hem of her dress, pushing it up Maggie’s thigh one slow centimeter at a time. Maggie whimpered against Alex’s mouth, and the sound blew away the last of her restraint and unleashed a deep craving that was only going to be satiated by Maggie coming undone under her hands, under her lips, the sooner, the better.   
  
Alex’s hand trembled as she pushed Maggie’s dress up to her hip, brushing over silk and lace with her thumb. She drew small circles there, feeling Maggie arch into her, feeling her muscles twitch under Alex’s fingers. No one had ever driven her this wild before.    
  
“Alex…” Maggie was breathless, her voice husky as she pulled back from the kiss. “We should… slow down…”  
  
“Why?” Alex’s fingers slid forward, tracing lace from Maggie’s hip to the hollow of her stomach,  and Maggie dropped her forehead to Alex’s shoulder, whimpering against Alex’s neck. Turning her head, Alex pressed a kiss to Maggie’s cheek. “I want you…”  
  
Maggie’s hands slid down Alex’s shoulders and came to rest on her arms, stopping Alex from moving for a moment, long enough for her to take a long breath and raise her head. Alex knew her eyes mirrored the desire she saw in Maggie’s, but Maggie eased Alex’s hand back down to her knee. “I want you too. But let’s slow it down…”  
  
“You started it,” Alex accused lightly. “Isn’t it my turn to finish it?” Her fingers slid under Maggie’s dress and teased up her thigh once again, luxuriating in the feeling of smooth and silky skin under her fingertips, to say nothing of the way Maggie’s grip on her biceps tightened.   
  
“Not here.” Maggie’s tone turned serious. “Not… not for our first time…”  
  
“So maybe our third or fourth?” Alex suggested with a predatory smile as she conceded the point, her hands stilling their exploration. It was so hard to be good, and Alex couldn’t stop herself pressing another light kiss on Maggie’s lips. The taste of her was addicting.   
  
“I’ve created a monster, haven’t I?” Maggie shook her head, but nothing hid her huge smile.   
  
“Probably... yeah.” Reluctantly, she smoothed down Maggie’s dress, her pretence of helping not fooling either of them as her touch lingered just a little too long. Maggie returned the favor with a knowing smirk, her fingers skimming Alex’s sides and down her legs as she straightened Alex’s clothes.  
  
“You know, my apartment is just a few blocks away,” Alex began conversationally.    
  
“How lucky you picked this restaurant for dinner. What do you say....”   
  
“Yes?” Alex’s response was immediate and too eager, but she didn’t care.    
  
“... we get dessert and then head over to your place for a nightcap?”  
  
“Dessert?” Alex let out an incredulous laugh. “Are you serious?”   
  
“They have tiramisu.”  
  
“I was thinking about something else for dessert…”  
  
“Uh huh,” Maggie laughed. “Tiramisu and then a nightcap.”  
  
“Fine,” Alex huffed in teasing exasperation. She ran a hand through her hair and smoothed it  back before reaching for the door latch. “You know what, Sawyer?”  
  
“What, Danvers?”  
  
“I’m in the lead now.”  
  
Maggie laughed in delight, her smile so wide it crinkled her eyes nearly shut, and Alex felt her heart skip a beat. She leaned in for one last quick kiss before swinging the door open, her hand catching Maggie’s to pull her along. “Now let’s get you…” Alex skidded to a halt as she came face-to-face with Lucy, standing stock still in shock in the middle of the bathroom.   
  
“Oh, uh, hey, ah, Lucy,” Alex stammered as Maggie leaned into her side almost possessively, their joined hands caught between their bodies. “Maggie and I, we were, um, just, ah…”  
  
“Leaving!” Maggie interjected firmly, mercifully cutting off the garbled flow of words out of Alex’s mouth. “We have to order dessert.” Squeezing Alex’s hand, she pulled her away and out the door, leaving a very perplexed and slightly mortified Lucy Lane staring after them.  
  
•••  
  
At least Vasquez didn’t walk in on that was the first thought that came into Lucy’s jumbled head as the door to the women’s room swung shut behind Alex and her date. Her second was, I can’t believe I almost walked in on Alexandra Danvers having sex with a woman in the bathroom. On their first date. And she wasn’t sure what really scandalized her more, the bathroom stall sex or the timing of said indiscretion.   
  
She knew she couldn’t share this with Vasquez and Washington without Susan having an aneurysm, so she pulled out her phone and tapped a quick note. _I just walked in on your sister and her date in the bathroom._  
  
 _So?_ A second later, another text came. _Girls go the ladies room together all the time_  
  
 _In the same stall?_  
  
 _What would they be doing in the same stall?_ Lucy could almost see Kara’s face screwed up in confusion, trying to puzzle out what it meant. Lucy waited for it, giving the other woman a minute, and Kara did not disappoint. A flurry of texts followed.   
  
_You don’t mean they were_  
  
 _OMG you do_  
  
 _Alex wouldn’t_  
  
 _Do that_  
  
 _In a bathroom like a public bathroom?_  
  
 _Would she?_  
  
 _OMG_  
  
 _GROSS_  
  
Lucy chuckled at the last text, seeing the disturbed look on Kara’s face as clearly as if Kara were standing in front of her. Taking pity on Kara, Lucy sent a quick text back. _They were just kissing._ I think, she added mentally. _But they seem very cosy. You sure they haven’t been dating?_  
  
The little dots indicated that Kara was typing, and Lucy waited patiently.   
  
_No._  
  
 _I mean, maybe._  
  
 _Kind of_  
  
Kind of? Lucy stared at her phone, puzzled. How could they have been kind of dating? Kara’s next text buzzed. _Alex talks about her all the time, like ALL THE TIME_  
  
 _Maggie is so smart and tough_  
  
 _Maggie is so bad at pool. Should I let her win?_   
  
Lucy raised an eyebrow at that. Alex Danvers, one of the most competitive women she had ever met, would voluntarily lose for this woman. _Must be love_ , she typed back.   
  
_That’s what I thought! But then, like a week ago something happened and I thought maybe maggie rejected her_  
  
 _and then maggie showed up at the DEO today and they talked for a few minutes before maggie stormed out again_  
  
 _So……._  
  
 _Curiouser and curiouser_ , Lucy replied. So something had apparently happened in just a few hours that took them from being on the outs to making out in a restaurant bathroom. Lucy couldn't wait to hear that story. Apparently, neither could Kara.  
  
 _I’m going to have to get the full story from Alex_  
  
Lucy nodded before typing quickly once more. _And after you do, we have to meet for drinks so you can tell me all about it. Because I don’t think your sister is going to be able to look me in the eyes for a few days._   
  
And when she returned to the bar, a clearly smitten Alex was resting her chin in her palm and watching, amused, as Maggie dug into a slice of tiramisu. Lucy settled herself between the other two women just as Vasquez leaned in and whispered, “Alex just let that woman feed her!”


	5. Chapter 5

As much as she loved tiramisu, Maggie was starting to regret ordering dessert. Alex was nakedly devouring her with her eyes, the dark intent so obvious it could be seen from space. “You’re staring.”

From underneath her lashes, Alex gave Maggie a sultry look. "Just thinking about what I'm going to do when I get you back to my apartment. In my bed.”

Maggie’s breath hitched, and suddenly, the whole moment seemed unreal, the woman she had been dreaming about for weeks sitting across from her, promising that the dinner was just the start to their evening. "This isn’t what I expected,” she admitted, sweeping her hand to indicate the restaurant. ”It's more than I ever would have hoped for."

“What?”

“This. You. Me. At a fancy restaurant. On a romantic date.”

“Getting caught making out in the bathroom by one of my coworkers?” Alex arched an eyebrow.

Maggie blushed at the smug smirk curling Alex’s lips, but she gave as good as she got, wielding her wide, dimpled smile to devastating effect, pleased when Alex’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “When I challenged you to that motorcycle race, I was just trying to get you out of your shell a little bit. Provoke you into expressing a side I knew you usually kept hidden. I just didn't know I was poking a tiger.”

They shared a look, remembering moonlight and waves, the heat of their bodies warding off the chill of the wind, until Alex looked away with a quiet confession. “I didn't know what I was doing, when I kissed you.”

“Could've fooled me, Danvers,” Maggie retorted, and it was Alex’s turn to blush.

“I mean, I was acting on pure impulse. I just… couldn’t help myself. I still can’t.” Her hand swept Maggie’s hair back behind her ear, her fingers lingering as she leaned forward for a kiss. Maggie met her halfway, tasting wine and whipped cream on her tongue.

“Thank you,” Maggie said when they parted. “For giving me another chance.”

Alex hung her head, her hair falling forward to obscure her face as she toyed with her glass. “You sure? You did reject–”

“That wasn’t because I didn’t like you, Alex. It was because…” Maggie paused, caught by Alex’s searing look, her dark eyes searching as her teeth worried at her lip. “It was because I liked you too much.”

“And this isn’t just, just… I mean, as much as I’m looking forward to… “ Alex’s mouth twisted into a self-conscious frown, “...later, I... would like to wake up and have you there... next to me… Maybe we could go for coffee? And on another date sometime… I mean, sometime soon, and…”

Maggie wrapped Alex’s hand in hers, squeezing, and Alex stuttered to a stop. For all of her bravery, Alex trying to open up and talk about her feelings was an awkward mess, and endearing as hell. She gave a soft, reassuring smile. “This isn’t a one-night stand, not for me.” Maggie didn’t tell her she hoped it was the start of something that might just last a lifetime, not yet. “For our next date, I’m thinking a picnic in the desert, just you, me, and the stars.”

“I’d, I’d like that.”

“Me too. I—”

Alex’s phone vibrated on the table, and she frowned down at it. It buzzed again, and she held up a finger on the third. “It’s my sister. Sorry.” Her nose crinkled as she read, an eyebrow lifting as her gaze slid to the bar and her colleagues.

“Everything okay?” Maggie asked, glancing over her shoulder to see one of the women catch Alex’s glare and duck her head.

“Yes. Apparently, Kara knows I’m on a date. She wants to know how it’s going.”

Maggie chuckled as Alex snapped off a quick text. “What are you telling her?”

“That I’ll tell her all about it.” She gave Maggie a look, lazy, heated, and full of promise. “Tomorrow. Afternoon.”

“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, Danvers?” Maggie teased, but she couldn’t stop the delicious shiver up her spine as she imagined sliding Alex’s dress off her shoulders in the privacy of her apartment. She only wondered if the afternoon was too soon, given all the ways she wanted to claim and be claimed by Alex.

“I am,” Alex agreed smoothly. “Now let’s get the check before we do something to get us banned from this restaurant.”

•••

“We are so dead,” Ella muttered. “So. Very. Dead.”

“Oh, I dunno,” Lucy chuckled. “If tonight goes down like I think it will, Alex might be too exhausted to come after us.”

“So you think they’ll go from fighting this afternoon to first date to sex in less than what, eight hours?”

“Please. If we could hook up a generator to the sexual tension between those two, we could power National City’s grid for a week.”

A low groan came from where Susan was slumped against the bar. “I drank too much.” She wrapped her hands around the glass of water Lucy slid over to her and raised her head to drink. “Next girl’s night, let’s avoid places where Alex and her new girlfriend might be making out, okay?”

“Agreed!” Ella chimed in. “Alex is kinda.... scary when she’s happy.”

“Well, we won’t be subjected to it much longer.” Lucy indicated their table with her chin as Alex stood, her hand seeking Maggie’s as they made their way through the restaurant and out the door.

They sat quietly for a few moments before Susan voiced their thoughts. “That cop is one lucky woman.”

***

“So you live around here?” Maggie indicated the rows of warehouses converted to apartments and shops as they strolled out of the restaurant.

Alex intertwined their fingers, amazed at how they just fit, at how natural it felt to be affectionate with Maggie. She had always shied away from casual intimacy, hating how possessive it had felt when boyfriends put their hands on her in public. But she was starting to understand as a couple walked by them in the street, both of them checking Maggie out as they passed.

“Yeah,” Alex muttered, belatedly answering Maggie’s question. “This way.” They walked in silence for over a block as Alex tried to soothe the anxious fluttering in her stomach. This was actually happening, and the reality threatened to break the bubble of happiness and desire that had been building during dinner. The what-ifs crowded into her head, and tension coiled in the muscles of her back.

“Hey.” Maggie tugged on their joined hands and pulled Alex into the shadowed doorway of a darkened store. Maggie’s back hit the wall with a muffled thump as her hand threaded in Alex’s hair, their breath mingling for a long moment before she captured Alex’s lips in a deep, open-mouthed kiss. Her fingers ghosted up Alex’s stomach to cup her breast, earning a shocked gasp that turned to a moan when her thumb brushed over Alex’s nipple.

“Maggie,” Alex nearly whined against her lips as she tried to extricate herself from the embrace. “Someone could see, or there might be cameras.” Maggie’s thigh pressing against Alex cut her protestations short as her head rocked forward to nestle against Maggie’s shoulder. “Maggie…” she breathed against the warm skin under her lips.

“Am I catching up?” Alex shivered at the whisper in her ear and the feeling of exposure at her back. “You really think I’m going to let you win our little game without one last try?” Maggie asked as she rolled her hips and flicked her thumb against Alex’s nipple again.

All nerves and hesitation gone, Alex pinned Maggie against the wall with her body, nibbling her way up Maggie’s neck with sharp bites. “This is your Hail Mary?” She shifted her weight and pressed into Maggie to return the favor. “Are you interested in keeping score or scoring?”

Maggie chuckled. “There’s my tiger,” she said, and Alex realized Maggie had picked up on her anxiety. This was her very effective way of putting Alex back into the moment. She laughed, a little self-consciously, at how well Maggie seemed to know her.

Tilting her head back, Alex was mesmerized by the sweep of Maggie’s smile, slow and sexy, and the dark seduction in her eyes. God, she was so beautiful. Alex’s lips twisted as she tried to hide her grin. “Are you daring me to unleash my thrillseeker side?”

Maggie’s eyes twinkled as she raised her jaw, jutting it out in challenge. “It’s worked before.”

•••

They were moving way too fast, Maggie knew, but she had no more capacity to stop the headlong rush than she could have kept herself for falling for badass Agent Alex Danvers in the first place. It didn’t matter if they waited days, weeks, or even months, it was always going to be like this when they were together: breathless, exhilarating, and absolutely terrifying. So she didn’t hold back, letting her hands roam all over Alex’s body, driving them both crazy.

Alex’s back was arched and her head was thrown back, and in the dim illumination from the streetlight, Maggie could see Alex’s lower lip caught between her teeth in an effort to keep quiet. Maggie wondered if, once she got her home, if she could make Alex scream. She looked forward to finding out.

“I think I just pulled ahead,” Maggie murmured as she nipped at Alex’s collarbone.

“Maggie… you’re a…. a….” Alex’s breath hitched as Maggie kissed her way up Alex’s exposed neck and nuzzled her hair back from her ear to give her tongue access. Alex shuddered when she blew lightly, and Maggie made note of how sensitive Alex was there, promising herself to return later.

“I’m a what?” Maggie asked, her breath wet and hot in Alex’s ear.

“Shit!” Alex collapsed into her, her weight heavy in Maggie’s arms, her body trembling. She hadn’t come yet, but Maggie could tell she getting close to the edge.

“Whatever do you mean, Agent Danvers?” Maggie teased as Alex stilled, trying to get her breathing under control. “I’m a shit? Or was that just an expletive?”

“Both,” Alex growled. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to Maggie’s cheek. “You drive me crazy, and you know it.” Alex ran her fingers down the skin of Maggie’s back, scratching with blunt nails, and Maggie inhaled sharply. “Can we please go back to my apartment now?”

“No worries, we’ll make it to your bed in due time.”

“I don’t know if I’ll make it _now_ on these legs,” Alex pouted, and Maggie kissed her with a smile at her silliness.

“I make you weak in the knees?”

“Always.”

Something in the heartfelt way Alex said the word caught Maggie off-guard. “Always?”

“Yeah. Always.” Alex rested their foreheads together, the gesture surprisingly tender and intimate. “From the moment I saw you across the tarmac at my crime scene to seeing you in that dress outside of the restaurant tonight.”

Maggie’s breath stuttered as Alex’s quiet words drove the air from her lungs and swelled her heart in her chest. “And then there’s when you are astride your bike, or bent over the pool table, lining up a shot that you inevitably miss.” Her eyes fluttered closed at the rasp in Alex’s voice, desire and something that felt suspiciously like love threatening to overwhelm her. “Even watching you work in that ridiculous oversized police windbreaker at a crime scene.”

“Alex...” Maggie pled, not sure she could hear more without confessing certain truths she wasn’t ready to speak yet.

Alex swept her fingers along Maggie’s jaw, and Maggie reluctantly raised her eyes, afraid of the emotions that might show there. Whatever Alex saw made her smile, her hand caressing Maggie’s cheek softly. “You are smart and amazing. And so beautiful. I just…” A blush heated her cheeks, and Alex dropped her head.

Maggie leaned into Alex’s hand and prompted her with a gentle smile and a small nod when their eyes met. “You just what?”

“I want to see how beautiful you are naked while I worship every inch of you,” Alex confessed, in the hushed tone of someone unaccustomed to speaking so honestly about her desire.

Maggie didn’t melt, not with anyone, but when Alex fixed her with a searing gaze over a bashful half-smile, it sure felt like it. Passion banked for the moment, Maggie ran her hands through Alex’s hair and framed her face, pressing their lips together for a slow, sweet kiss.

“Well, when you put it like that, what do you say we go back to your place?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, um, kinda had to change the rating on this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to the lovely Inspector Boxer for the beta, especially since I was whiny about it this week.

“You want a drink?” Alex kicked off her shoes by the door and padded into the kitchen on bare feet. The fireplace flipped on in the living room, and the flames flickered over the space, adding just the right amount of warmth to the soft light illuminating the kitchen. Taking two heavy crystal glasses out of a cabinet, Alex set them on the island by a half-empty bottle of bourbon.

Maggie followed, the click of her heels muted as she made her way into the kitchen to stand behind Alex. Her lips curled into a lazy smile as she noticed their height difference was equalized, for the moment, and decided to take advantage. Alex stilled as Maggie stepped close and leaned in, her chest pressing against Alex’s back. The spark that leapt between them was instantaneous, and Maggie sucked in a shaky breath as Alex shifted back to rest in her arms.

Had it only been hours ago that they had been yelling at each other, angry, hurt, and scared, of their own feelings and each other? Maggie almost couldn’t believe it, going from fearing she had lost both her friendship with Alex and, nearly, the woman herself, to this.

Hope, an almost foreign emotion, blossomed in her chest and trembled her fingers as she traced Alex’s hips. Her lips found the sensitive skin at Alex’s neck, brushing over her hammering pulse.

“I think I’m good,” Maggie murmured as Alex melted into her with a heavy sigh, her head falling back to give Maggie all the access she wanted. She hummed as she nuzzled Alex’s throat, catching a faint whiff of citrus and sandalwood.

Her hands found the zipper for Alex’s dress, and slowly, deliberately, pulled it down. The fabric loosened with each centimeter of exposed skin, and Maggie nibbled along Alex’s shoulder before beginning a lazy journey down Alex’s spine.

With a gasp, Alex caught her dress as it slid from her shoulders and pooled at her chest. Maggie lingered at the small of her back, tasting skin with lips and tongue and the occasional scrape of her teeth. She smiled when a low moan reached her ears. Alex’s knees threatened to buckle, and Maggie caught her hips as she traced her way back up, feeling Alex’s body shake.

“Jesus,” Alex hissed, her weight settling against Maggie as Maggie’s hands slid beneath the fabric of her dress. Blunt nails scraped across Alex’s stomach and skimmed up to cup her breasts.

Maggie chuckled. “You like that?” Her tongue darted into Alex’s ear while her thumbs circled Alex’s nipples. Alex shivered and arched into her hands. Maggie already knew she’d never tire of this. The heat and heaviness of Alex’s body against hers, the soft noises Alex made when she touched her _there_ , like _that_. Teasing every sensation out of her could take a lifetime, and it was a commitment Maggie suspected she had already signed up for.

Urging Alex to turn, Maggie gazed into dark eyes, blown wide and staring hungrily back at her. Her fingers drifted over Alex’s breasts, then higher, slipping the dress straps off Alex’s shoulders. Uncertainty crept into Alex’s expression, and Maggie tilted her head and nodded, her lips curving into an small smile. After a moment’s hesitation, Alex gave a small nod in return and released her hold on the dress, letting it pool at her feet. Her bra followed, leaving her bare except for a swath of black satin across her stomach and hips.

Maggie drew in a breath as her gaze roamed, her tongue wetting dry lips. Alex was magnificent, all lean lines and smooth muscle, marred occasionally by pocked scars and healing bruises. They did nothing to diminish her beauty.

From the bashful look in her eyes and the slight twitch in her fingers, Alex was clearly fighting the urge to cover herself. Maggie stepped closer, her nails skimming over Alex’s thighs. “Beautiful,” she breathed, raising her head to catch Alex’s shy smile.

Bracing her hands on either side of Alex, Maggie captured her mouth, slowly deepening the kiss until Alex moaned and shifted restlessly. Maggie sank into her, pressing every inch of her body against Alex and parting Alex’s thighs with one of her own.

“Maggie.” Her name was equal parts prayer and curse as she caught Alex’s lower lip in her teeth. Alex’s back arched and their hips collided as she sought more pressure between her legs. Raising a hand, Maggie brushed Alex’s hair behind her ear before trailing her touch down the column of her throat, then lower, to palm her breast.

Alex’s hands were gripping the counter now, her arms straining and her back bowed, taut and attentive yet patient, letting Maggie explore and play. Every touch elicited a response, a hiss of breath, a twitch of her stomach, a bitten lip. Maggie took advantage, her fingers ghosting over the gooseflesh of Alex’s bicep and scraping the small of her back.

Maggie had imagined all the ways she could make love to this woman, but the taste of salt on Alex’s skin, the play of light and shadow on her body, was intoxicating. The first touch of her tongue to Alex’s nipple set off a cascade of trembling through Alex’s body. Maggie wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her up, to hold her still, as her mouth teased.

Her thumbs flirted with the edge of Alex’s panties, and a firm hand caught her shoulder, pushing her down with as a strangled ‘please’ reaching her ears. Smiling, Maggie kissed her way down the taut muscles of Alex’s stomach to kneel at her feet. Hooking her fingers in the soft fabric at Alex’s hips, Maggie tugged, removing the final barrier between her mouth and the taste she had been craving for hours.

Maggie eased Alex’s leg over her shoulder, feeling Alex dig her heel into her back and drag her closer. Complying with the unspoken demand, Maggie dove between her lips and licked the length of her. Alex gasped, her balance faltering, and Maggie steadied Alex’s hips, keeping her mouth buried in Alex’s heat. A hand twisted in her hair, urging her on, and Maggie obliged, finding Alex’s clit with her tongue.

“Maggie, god.” It wasn’t a scream, but it was close. Setting an unrelenting rhythm, Maggie drove Alex to the edge and then backed off, hearing Alex whimper and plead. She wanted to stay there, to keep Alex poised and breathless, but Alex’s body was shaking and her moans filled the quiet of the apartment. Later, Maggie promised herself, sucking Alex’s clit between her lips and grazing the sensitive spot with her teeth.

Alex came, hard, her hips bucking, and Maggie rode her as a second orgasm shuddered her body seconds after the first.

Maggie caught her as Alex collapsed, wobbling a little in her heels. Alex clung to Maggie, her weight welcome in Maggie’s arms, her head resting on Maggie’s shoulder. Maggie wasn’t sure how long they stood, waiting while Alex’s breath evened out and her body steadied, but Alex Danvers, spent, satiated, and heavy against her, was a slice of heaven Maggie never wanted to let go.

  
***  
  
Head spinning, Alex managed to lean back enough to see Maggie’s dark eyes in the faint light. The edge of the counter was cold in the small of her back as she rested against it, and she shivered slightly. Tightening her hold, Maggie urged her deeper into her arms, into her heat, and Alex melted into her gratefully.

Alex wondered if Maggie knew how infinitely precious she was, how her mere presence was a gift Alex didn’t feel worthy of. But she would accept it, and any other day Maggie chose to bestow it upon her. She would never get enough of those soulful eyes, those devastating dimples, and she hoped Maggie felt the same.

“You’re overdressed.” Alex’s throat was hoarse, her voice rough. A blush heated her cheeks as she imagined what her neighbors might have heard. But Maggie gave her that cocky half-grin and wiggled an eyebrow, and suddenly, all Alex wanted was for her neighbors to hear Maggie, to hear her pleasure, all night long.

“Am I? What are you going to do about that, Danvers?”

Long fingers framed Maggie’s face and curled around the back of her neck. Alex tugged her in for a kiss, tasting herself on Maggie’s lips. Her grip tightened, tilting Maggie’s head back as she deepened the kiss, her tongue teasing before diving in, deep and probing. She only stopped when the need for oxygen became an issue, and she eased back to find Maggie’s eyes closed and her breath coming in harsh gasps.

She kissed her again, claiming Maggie’s mouth while trailing her nails down the bare skin of Maggie’s back, digging her nails in lightly. She cupped her perfectly-sculpted ass before going lower, skirting the edge of Maggie’s dress along the back of her thighs. Maggie groaned, and Alex smiled into the kiss.

With small steps, Alex backed Maggie out of the kitchen. “Hold on,” Maggie muttered as she paused to slip off her heels. Alex kept hold and was rewarded with a warm laugh when she nuzzled her neck. “Are you trying to make me fall?”

“For me? Absolutely.”

Flames reflected in Maggie’s eyes as she straightened, her smile so wide her eyes nearly disappeared. So many variations, but Alex thought nothing was quite as beautiful, as breathtaking, as happy Maggie. “You’re a sap, Danvers.”

“Only for you.” Her fingertips molded to the muscles of Maggie’s thighs and slipped up, dragging the hem of her dress higher and higher. Past her hips, along her ribs, until Alex brushed her thumbs under the swell of Maggie’s breasts. “I’ve been wanting to do this,” she confessed as she raised Maggie’s arms to pull the dress over her head, “for so long.”

Her skin in the firelight was a golden honey, and Alex’s breath hitched as she remembered her promise to worship every inch. A possessive streak she didn’t know existed welled up as she caught Maggie’s hips and pulled her close, their bodies rubbing together deliciously. Hers. Maggie was hers, and she was going to spend the rest of the night proving it.

Underwear was discarded in seconds, leaving Maggie bare for Alex. Wasting no time, Alex ran her hands over Maggie’s stomach, feeling the muscle tighten under her fingertips as Maggie gasped.

Wrapping her arms around Alex’s neck, Maggie held on as Alex explored, squirming as Alex lingered. Her hands were careful, gliding over Maggie’s body like it was fine china, delicate and exquisite. Maggie sighed into her touch and her eyes fluttered shut. The map of Maggie’s body was endless, the catalog of her reactions to Alex’s touch boundless, and Alex memorized them all.

The low moan when Alex nipped at _that_ spot on her neck and tremor when Alex skimmed _there_ along the back of her bicep.

Sometimes it was soft, subtle, and Alex felt Maggie straining to stay still, to keep from pushing into her hands. Other times, Alex was rougher, sucking a nipple into her mouth, grazing soft skin with her teeth, and Maggie whimpered and groaned. Her body did move then, with Alex’s fingers, with her tongue.

Maggie was ticklish along her sides, Alex discovered, but a scrape of teeth along her collarbone made her growl, as did fingernails scratching down her back. She loved when Alex mixed it up, alternating the sweep of her thumbs across her nipples with not-so-gentle pinches.

When their legs couldn’t hold them up any more, Alex laid her back on the couch. Spread out before her, in the warmth of the firelight, Maggie was stunning. For a moment, Alex could only stare, but, catching Maggie’s quizzical gaze, Alex shook her head and smiled, finding Maggie’s hips with her hands and her stomach with her lips.

She might have continued her lazy exploration, but the smell of Maggie drew her down, and she pressed a kiss to Maggie’s thigh, tasting her arousal with her tongue. Lingering, Alex ran her fingers along Maggie’s calves, feeling her legs quiver and jump when she tickled behind her knee.

Maggie’s grip tangled in her hair and dragged her up until Alex was staring into those expressive eyes, caught somewhere between entreaty and patience. Pleading won out. “Please? I need…” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Alex dipped her head to kiss her breathless.

“What do you need?” she whispered as Maggie’s fingers curved around the back of her neck, holding her there, pinned in her gaze.

“You, I need… ” Maggie’s body spoke more coherently than her words, her legs falling open as Alex settled between. She braced herself, looking into Maggie’s eyes as her hand glided up to cup her center and a finger parted her lips.

Catching her lip between her teeth, Maggie nodded, rising to meet Alex as she slid into her wetness. Her eyes flickered shut, and then opened as Alex started to move with slow, deep thrusts. A second finger joined the first, and then a third, and Maggie gasped as Alex filled her.

Alex paused, buried in her heat, caught by the raw need and startling vulnerability in Maggie’s gaze. An insistent roll of her hips brought Alex back. She curled her fingers as her thumb found Maggie’s clit, building a steady rhythm to slowly bring Maggie closer to the release shaking her body.

Her legs squeezed Alex’s hips almost painfully as her walls clenched around Alex’s fingers. Arching under Alex and driving against her hand, Maggie came with a series of high-pitched cries that echoed across the room. With one last gasp, all the tension left her body in a rush and Maggie collapsed, dragging Alex down with her.

Alex didn’t even care if her neighbors heard; she’d invest in soundproofing, if only to ensure she could make Maggie come like that again and again. Brushing back damp hair from Maggie’s forehead, Alex pressed a kiss there, then her eyelid, her cheek, her lips, before burying her face into Maggie’s neck and relaxing into her body. She closed her eyes and let Maggie’s heartbeat lull her into a near-doze.

“Am I too heavy?” Alex asked suddenly, shifting to keep from crushing Maggie, but Maggie wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back down.

“No, you're perfect,” she muttered, rubbing circles on Alex’s back.

Alex snagged the throw from the back of the couch and dragged it over them, snuggling into Maggie with a contented sigh. “That… you… wow.” She heard the awe in her voice and hoped Maggie did too. So far beyond her hopes, the moment didn’t seem real, and Alex knew she was grinning like a fool.

“Yeah,” Maggie replied, but her tone was thoughtful, like she was a hundred miles away. Alex shifted up so she could see her.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I knew it would be like this.” She seemed to search for words. Alex waited, giving her time. “Intense. Amazing.”

“And that's a bad thing?”

“No, I’m just, I’m not good... at things like this. This feels… real.” Maggie shook her head like it wasn’t the right word.

Real. To Alex, it sounded correct; what was between them felt heavy, substantial, like gravity. It could drag them down and drown them if they weren’t careful, but it could also ground them and keep them rooted.

And Alex understood, better than Maggie knew. She had never fallen so deeply, so quickly, and it scared her, more than a little. “You know, I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time, and... nothing, nothing like this.” She traced a finger down Maggie’s cheek and cupped her jaw. “I've wanted you for so long. if this is what real feels like, then real is what I want.”

Swallowing hard, Maggie ran her fingers through Alex’s hair, toying with the ends as tears glittered in her eyes. “You sure?”

Alex nodded, never sure of anything more in her life. “I'm not letting you go. In case you didn't notice, I fight for what I care about, and I care about you.”

Maggie’s gaze flitted around the room before fixing on Alex again. “I care about you too. A lot,” she confessed, and Alex’s heart swelled. It felt like a declaration of love, and Alex was glad she wasn’t the only one in over her head.

“We’ll figure it out,” Alex promised. “Now that we know how good it can be, it will give us something to fight for, something to hang onto when our jobs or our insecurities get in the way.”

Maggie’s strong arms crushed their bodies together again, and Alex curled into her heat. When she felt a tear against her cheek, she didn't say anything. Whatever had happened in the past, whoever had hurt Maggie, Alex was determined to make her see some chances were worth taking. Even this. Especially this.

After a few minutes of quiet snuggling, Maggie chuckled.

“What?”

“You think we’re ever going to make it to the bed?”

“I’m sure we will. Eventually.”


End file.
